DECISIONS
by bLAcKraBBit CHA-CHII 0615
Summary: Ryoma has a heart disease and insisted on going to school even though he's sick...But when the tennis club caught his attention, will he join the club even if it means risking his life for his beloved game?...find out    hope you read my story...
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own this anime...AND neither are the characters...well except for my own characters that will be included in the preceding chapters...**

**^ ^ Hope you enjoy my story...also please review...W**

It's a very peaceful day and it seems as if the world stood still. It's very quiet and no noise can be heard except for a certain boy's room. The boy keeps on rolling on his bed as he plays with his favorite cat, Karupin. His blank expression clearly shows that he's bored to death and that he wants to do something exciting but he doesn't want to. Well, it's not like he doesn't want to but...It's just that he CANNOT…Yup you read it right…He cannot do it like a normal person could…No it's not like the boy is abnormal or anything…It's just that this certain boy has an illness…a HEART DISEASE!

This certain boy is Ryoma Echizen, a 12-year-old first year middle-schooler. Tomorrow is actually his first day of school as a freshman in Seishun Gakuen. Seigaku, for short. He has this heart disease ever since he was a kid so he wasn't able to experience going outside to play with the other kids. There's only one thing that makes his heart pound in excitement and that is tennis. He was only able to play it for not more than ten times but he's already good at it. He may be even considered as a genius because of this.

"DARN…I'm bored. I want to do something but what?" Ryoma muttered to himself. "You're lucky, Karupin. You're a cat and you don't have any illness like mine." He continued with a sad look on his face.

Ryoma yawned. He's feeling a bit dizzy and is struggling very hard not to close his eyes. But he still fell asleep and this is his fourth nap already. "Maybe this is the effect of having this illness." He thought before losing consciousness.

When he woke up, it's already 6:30 pm. How could time passed by so quickly? He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms. Now all he has to do is check if his things for tomorrow are complete. He's quite excited about going to school because this was actually his first time. He's always home-schooled and even has a tutor. Ryoma's actually smart and excels in everything he does but even if he has a bright future ahead of him, he still thinks that he won't last long because of his disease.

Well, Ryoma is a very smart kid so even if he's still young, he could understand complicated thing s that adults keep to themselves. The adults don't even notice the fact that Ryoma is kind of mature for his age but he just act as if he does not care about a thing. But, amidst of all this, one thing that is noticeable in Ryoma is the way he looked at people. He can tell just by looking if a person is telling the truth or not. Some people think that he's a very creepy kid because of his hobby of staring at other people. Well, what do you expect from a boy who has a heart disease?...Of course, he'll just stare at people and watch what they are doing…DUH?...Well anyway, let's just go back to the story...Shall we?...

"Ryo-ma! It's dinner time…Come down here and let's eat together…" Nanako, Ryoma's cousin, called to him. Ryoma hurriedly went downstairs to eat his dinner. He brought Karupin with him, who was obviously hungry.

"Are you sure you'll be okay at school tomorrow, Ryoma-kun?" Nanako worriedly asked; "If you want, you can go next semester if you're still not feeling well to go to school to go to school by tomorrow." She said. Ryoma put his chopsticks down and said, "Stop worrying already. I told you that I'll be alright. And it's my decision to enroll on a school so I can at least experience going to school. I'm not a kid anymore so wipe that worried look on your face already."Ryoma answered rudely with an annoyed look on his face. He doesn't like the idea that everyone's been annoying him if by any chance he wants to change his decision and just stayed at home. "But…" Nanako once again tried to reason out was interrupted by Ryoma's father, Nanjiro.

"Let him do whatever he wants. He's just a kid, after all." says Nanjiro; "Just don't come running onto us if you're to collapse or is having problems at school." Nanjiro said to Ryoma as he smirked that ticked Ryoma off.

Ryoma's vein popped as soon as he heard what his father had said to him. He stood harshly and slammed his hands on the table, surprising both Nanjiro and Nanako.

"Darn you, OLD MAN! Stop worrying already and just mind your own business..." Ryoma shouted angrily. He couldn't control his anger anymore. He left the table as soon as he said those words, saying that he's already done eating. He slammed the door behind him as he entered his room, leaving the two in a daze.

Nanako looked at Nanjiro with an expression that clearly shows 'now-you've-done-it" look. Nanjiro sweat dropped. "_But I was just teasing a bit, though….' _he thought to himself.

Ryoma dropped to his bed. He was in a very deep thought that he didn't notice that Karupin jumped on his side and lie there to sleep.

"But I really want to go to school…" he muttered under his breath.

The next day, Ryoma woke up earlier than he usually does. It's only 6 am and school starts at 8. He decided to take a bath, got dressed and went downstairs to eat his breakfast.

"Oh…Good morning, Ryoma-kun…you're quite early today…" Nanako said, surprised. She's not yet done readying the food so Ryoma sat on one of the chairs, waiting for his food.

"Even if you object, you won't stop me from going to school…" Ryoma said. Nanako handed a bowl of rice to him and smiled, "I knew you'd say that… I've talked to uncle about this matter and I've convinced him to let you go to that school if you really want to." She answered.

Ryoma is quite surprised by her answered. He's so happy that he even hides his flushed face. He couldn't stop himself from being excited and happy. He quickly finished his food and went upstairs to his room to get his things.

Before leaving the house, Nanako wished him good luck and gave him the necklace that Ryoma's mother left for him.

"This will protect you, Ryoma…" she said before he bid farewell to Ryoma, "Have fun at school…."

Ryoma nodded. He clutched the necklace then he put it on his pocket. He thanked Nanako before leaving.

"I hope…" Nanako muttered under her breath as she went back to the kitchen.

Ryoma was walking peacefully as he admired the lovely sakura trees he's walking under. He was thinking how nice it would be to sleep under it. He sighed then, smiled a little. "So this is how spring looks and feels like" he said to himself. He felt someone's presence from behind so he slowly turned around.

"Karupin?" Ryoma exclaimed. He sighed in relief to see that it was only Karupin. Ryoma picked Karupin up and smiled a little. "You're worried about me, too, huh? I'm glad that you're worried but I can't have a cat following me around while I'm having my classes. You should go home. You don't need to worry about me…I'll be fine…" Karupin just answered him with a meow…

As soon as Ryoma let go of him, Karupin changed his direction and went to the opposite way. It means that he understood what Ryoma had said to him. Ryoma, too, continued on his way to school, not knowing the fact that a weird guy in a dirty-looking kimono wearing sunglasses has been following him since he leave their house.

When Ryoma got to school, it was only 7:05 am. He got there too early so he decided to sit under a sakura tree but unfortunately for him, he fell asleep. When he woke up, it's already 7:55 am and their general assembly is about to start. Which means, he's going to be late.!.

"HEY, WATCH OUT-" someone called out to Ryoma but too late as a loud THUD was heard. Ryoma was on the lying on the ground as the boy came running to his aid.

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**My chapter two is up! HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY IT w**

**CHAPTER 2: THE MEETING WITH THE SEIGAKU TENNIS REGULARS…**

A loud thud was heard as Ryoma stayed lying on the ground. The boy then came running to his aid and helped him stand. Ryoma slowly stood up. He was feeling a bit dizzy because of the fall but good thing he wasn't hit by that tennis ball on the head, or else…

The man that was following Ryoma saw the whole thing and was shocked on what happened. It was revealed that the man following Ryoma is actually his father, Nanjiro. He was, after all, worried about Ryoma so he, too, was following Ryoma until he got to school, just like Karupin.

Ryoma leaned on the tree to regain his balance. When he was able to, he looked up to see a guy with a build body and a dark-purplish strike hair. One can tell that he is a tennis regular because of the jersey he was wearing. He didn't look that bad and he is constantly apologizing and saying that he didn't mean it. As a sign as apology, he offered him to treat him whatever he wants. Of course, Ryoma, being the SOMEWHAT greedy one said, "You know what…Thanks to you I'm late for the General Assembly…" Ryoma sheepishly said to make the guy feel even guiltier. "But if you insist on treating me, I'll be happy to accept it as long as you'll pay for all the food I'm eating…"

The guy was slightly surprised on what Ryoma had told him. He was speechless for a while then, laughed really hard that his stomach hurts from laughing. Ryoma just looked at the guy, surprised. He didn't know the reason he's laughing.

"Ummm…a-ano…Did I say something funny?" Ryoma asked. The guy patted his shoulders and said between chuckles, "You're a pretty funny guy, you know…"

Ryoma was slightly confused on what the guy is saying. He was about to ask him when the guy suddenly reached his hands, waiting for Ryoma's hand to shake it.

"You're a freshman, right? Well I'm your sempai since I'm a year older than you. Oh, by the way, my name's Momoshiro Takeshi." He introduced; "You can call me Momo-sempai, though…" he added.

Ryoma smirked and said, "What if I don't want to.?." He didn't even reach his hands to Momoshiro. Momo fell on the ground, anime-style.

"You're pretty cocky for a freshman; you know…" he said, smiling at Ryoma's arrogance. "Well, I better go back to practice or I'll be force to run 20 laps….See yah'…"

Momo left Ryoma, dumbfounded. Ryoma wasn't even able to introduce himself.

"But what about the treat you promised me…" Ryoma thought. He was really looking forward to it since he's not the one paying. "Well, whatever…" he said before going to the other direction heading to their classroom.

*Momo was late coming back to practice for almost 15 minutes so he was forced to stay behind and run 30 laps…Poor Momo…(It was supposed to be only 20 laps but since he reasoned out with their captain, he was told to run 10 more laps.)

Meanwhile, Ryoma is wandering around the hallway, looking for his classroom. He wasn't familiar with the place so he was KIND of lost…One other thing is that he's catching a lot of attention because of his looks. He decided to turn right so he will avoid the girls' attention but suddenly, came crashing to a certain guy. Ryoma fell on the ground…again.

"O-ouch…" he said. He heard the guy apologizing to him then, reached his hands to help Ryoma stand up. "Are you alright?" Ryoma heard him say. When he looked up, he saw a guy with a weird hairdo. His hair is bowl-shaped and he looks kind of timid and kind.

"I'm fine…I can stand on my own, you know…" with those words Ryoma stood up, ignoring the guy's hand. He didn't even apologized to the guy he bumped into. He just continued walking, still looking for his classroom.

The guy that Ryoma bumped into was kind of surprised on his reaction. He didn't expect to see someone like Ryoma that seems very indifferent. He also continued on his way as he headed to the teacher's lounge. Both went on separate ways as Ryoma is still having trouble looking for his classroom.

Ryoma, finally found his classroom and saw the teacher waiting by the door. He seems to be waiting for him. After a few minutes or so, the teacher came inside the room and announced to the class that they're having a new student, which is RYOMA…

Ryoma was then signaled by the teacher to come in and he did. As soon as he entered the room, a lot of the girls squealed as they saw him and some of the guys are jealous of him for catching the attention of the girls. It was so loud and everyone keeps on chattering how much they admire Ryoma or something like that…

When Ryoma was about to introduce himself, everyone fell silent. They all seemed to be interested in Ryoma. "…this is weird…Well, I'll just get this over with so these girls will shut up…" was what Ryoma thought, sighing. But his plan backfired as the girls liked him even more for introducing himself in a very cool manner. Even the teacher had a hard time making the girls piped down.

Ryoma was asked to seat on the back row, beside the window. He is quite pleased because he can clearly saw the beautiful view by the window. The girls were disappointed because they are really looking forward to seat next to Ryoma but he was assigned to seat next to a girl having two long braids.

The girl's name is Ryuzaki Sakuno. She, too, admires Ryoma but not to the point of squealing like her best friend, Tomo. When Ryoma was about to sit, she greeted him and introduced herself to him. Ryoma just answered with a soft 'Oh' then sat on his chair… She, too, is quite disappointed because of his reply.

For the whole period, Ryoma just sat quietly on his chair, looking at the view outside. It's hard to tell whether he is sleeping or not from Sakuno's view. She called out to Ryoma but no answer came from him….He must be sleeping…Sakuno tried once more only to be called out by the English teacher to read the next paragraph. She panicked and accidentally dropped her pencil case, waking Ryoma up. Sakuno was red in embarrassment. She covered her face with her book to hide her flushed face. She didn't expect to be embarrassed right in front of Ryoma.

"Oh, no… Ryoma-kun's looking at me and saw me embarrassing myself in front of the class…Oh, no!" Sakuno thought to herself. Ryoma looked at her for less than a minute then, went back on his affairs.

Sakuno got the wrong idea that Ryoma is ignoring her because of his "I-don't-care" look. She almost felt that she wants to hide on a cocoon to avoid her classmates' stares.

After their first period, next comes Science, the favorite subject of Ryoma but the hated subject of the others. Everyone was impressed on Ryoma when he was called to answer the two difficult questions on the board but still managed to answer it within a minute. Because of that, his popularity increased more than before. During break time, Ryoma was cornered by some of his classmates, both boys and girls, asking him a lot of things. Ryoma was getting annoyed by the minute because of too much attention he's getting from his classmates. One of his classmates that is very annoying is Horio, who keeps on boasting about his two years experience in tennis and how proud he is of being a member of the Seigaku's tennis club.

At last, Ryoma found a chance to sneak out of their room and eat his lunch peacefully, thanks to Horio's annoying and non-stop idiotic stories. He went to the rooftop since he figured that no one would be interested in eating their lunch there. When he opened the door, he saw two guys eating their lunch. The first guy looks like a girl and his eyes are closed while the other guy looks kind of weak and timid with a brownish strike hair. Ryoma saw them feeding one another and misunderstood them as homos…

The two looked at Ryoma as he suddenly closed the door saying that he's sorry he disturbed them from what they're doing. The two guys were left dumbfounded and surprised of how Ryoma reacted.

Ryoma hurriedly went downstairs and was kind of embarrassed on what he just saw. "I didn't know that 'THAT' kind of relationship really does happen in real life…And WORST, it has spread in this school as well…That was really gross…BOY to BOY! YUCK!" was what Ryoma thought as he stride downstairs.

Because of that incident, Ryoma decided to eat somewhere else. He found a very beautiful Sakura tree blooming just outside the window. He jumped off the window and headed to the tree. He sat under it and decided to eat his lunch there; instead…Ryoma didn't notice that a guy was sitting opposite him. The guy was resting his head on the tree as Ryoma just sat there, eating his lunch peacefully. He, then heard a clattering sound from behind, like a branch being stepped on. Ryoma stopped eating and asked, "Who's there?.."

"I'm sorry for surprising you, just then…I didn't mean to…" he said in a manly voice; "I was about to get back to my class anyway so just continue eating your food…" Ryoma looked at the guy. He looks like a very respectable guy. On top of that, he's wearing glasses that made him look a lot handsomer.

"Oh…" was what Ryoma managed to answer. It seems as if he wasn't really interested with the conversation and just wants to continue eating his food. The guy left as soon as he realized that Ryoma doesn't even care about their little conversation. Ryoma didn't even look at the guy as he leaves the place and went back to his class.

After eating, Ryoma fell asleep leaning on the tree. When he woke up, he saw a weird-looking guy who looks like a cat. He was poking Ryoma's cheeks and he seems to be having fun playing with his face.

"What are you doing?" Ryoma asked rudely to the weirdo in front of him.

"Oh, I just saw you sleeping and since you look so cute I just can't control myself and played with your face…a little bit…" he answered sheepishly. "You look so cute, you see…" He smiled.

Ryoma looked at him in a weird way then, stood up. He decided to leave and went back to his class since he realized that he couldn't conversate with the guy. He just left without saying a word.

"Nyaa~…He was no fun at all… " the guy said.

Ryoma went to the restroom and found Horio and the others are chattering about TENNIS…AGAIN…They saw Ryoma come in then, leave. They followed him and even called out to him but Ryoma' ignoring them on purpose.

"I don't want to be involved with these guys anymore…" Ryoma thought to himself. He wasn't used to talkative people. Well…Except for his father, Nanjiro, who has been very bizarre and talkative since birth.

Ryoma increased his pace so as to lose his annoying classmates. When he succeeds in losing them, Ryoma then found himself LOST again. He was in a middle of a lot of blooming Sakura trees and a pathway. He walked further and found a tennis court. There he saw two regulars still practicing their moves even though lunch break is about to end. One has a bandanna on his head that keeps on hissing like a snake; while the other one looks like a nerd because of his glasses.

"Kaido, if you still can't perfect that boomerang snake shot of yours, you have to drink this special DELUXE training drink that I've created last night…" Ryoma heard the glasses-guy say while showing the gross-looking juice drink. Ryoma's face looks as if he's about to puke at the color of that juice. "Is that even something that can be drink by humans?" Ryoma thought to himself.

Ryoma was about to leave and go back to his room when the bandanna-guy, Kaido, spotted him.

"HEY, YOU THERE…I HAVEN'T SEEN YOUR FACE HERE BEFORE..." Kaido called out to Ryoma. "Are you a spy from other schools?"

Ryoma turned around and answered, "None of your business, snake-guy…" Kaido's vein popped on what Ryoma replied; while Inui smiled a little because this is a rare sight when a kohai insults their sempais.

"And WHY are YOU laughing, GLASSES-GUY?" Ryoma asked Inui, emphasizing the insulting words. Inui adjusted his glasses and is smiling evilly that freaked Kaido.

Ryoma didn't wait for his answer. "Great. More weirdoes in just one day..." Ryoma once again insulted making Inui and Kaido even angrier.

"WHY, YOU BRAT-" Kaido almost yelled at him but wasn't able to finish his sentence because Ryoma was already gone. "He's already gone, Kaido…Calm down…" Inui interrupted as Kaido gripped his tennis racket with anger.

As Ryoma was walking on the pathway leading to the building, a hint of excitement was clearly shown in his face. "Tennis, huh… It would be really great if I could play it again…" Ryoma smiled to himself as gets more and more excited.

By the time Ryoma got to class, their Math subject is about to end which means that he's almost an hour late. He entered the room as if nothing happened and just sat on his chair. He apologized to the teacher but he didn't sound as if he's sorry at all. But despite of his rudeness, he teacher let him go without even a single word since this is Ryoma's first day of school.

Everyone looked at him, all having the same thought, _"WOW~…He's got guts coming here late…"_

The end of the class came and it's already dismissal. Ryoma was dragged by Horio and the others as soon as they leave the room.

"Where are you all taking me?" Ryoma asked in an annoyed voice. He didn't like being dragged by someone, especially if he didn't know where they are headed to. No one answered him and just asked him to follow them.

After a short walk, the group arrived on their destination. It's the tennis court where the Seigaku's tennis members practice. Ryoma was kind of surprised to see familiar faces he met awhile ago.

"I've heard that this year's team standing on the tournament is pretty impressive. They have a very high chance on winning it, too." Horio announced in a very boastful way. The others wowed and were very interested in hearing about the story except for Ryoma, who was just looking at the players. He seems to be in a really deep thought.

"What's so special about this club, anyway? They're just a bunch of amateurs…" Ryoma said in a soft voice but unfortunately for him, three second year students heard him.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AMATEURS, FRESHMAN?" one of them yelled angrily at Ryoma. Horio and the others were surprised on the sudden commotion and were frightened to see three second year students coming towards them. Ryoma just stared at them with a blank expression on his face.

"What did you do this time, Echizen?" Horio whispered to a bored Ryoma. He was frantically asking Ryoma to just apologize even if he nothing wrong but Ryoma, being somewhat ARROGANT, just ignored Horio's advice.

The three sophomores was now standing in front of Ryoma and the others, looking mean and angry. "You're the one that said that we're amateurs, aren't you?" the guy wearing a blue sweatshirts and pants asked with an angry look on his face.

Ryoma paused for a while and said, "So what if I said that?...Who are you, anyway?" he replied with a mocking tone.

The guy's vein popped as he clutched his hands in anger. Horio squeaked in horror as Ryoma just looked at the guy, fearless.

"WHY, THIS BRAT…." He started; "You're irritating me with that arrogant attitude of yours.!."

"Well, whatever…" Ryoma replied once again. Horio tapped Ryoma's shoulders and whispered to him, "Stop that, Echizen…You should just apologize and admit your mistakes. If you don't, who knows what may happen to us. Also, he is one of the infamous second year students who's very hot-blooded..He's Arai. Just apologize and we'll leave as soon as he accepts your apology."

Ryoma didn't really care about what Horio said to him. "I was just telling the truth, you know…" Ryoma said in sarcasm. Now he's done it. Arai was now forming a fist of ball as if he's ready to punch him at any time soon.

"Why, of all things he could have done, added more fuel to the fire?" was what Horio and the others thought.

Arai was about to punch Ryoma when he suddenly thought of a good idea. He smirked then, looked at Ryoma.

"Hey, boy…you said that we are amateurs…so why not show us your skills in tennis and if I win, you have to kneel in front of me and do whatever I asked you to. If you back down, it's the same as losing…so what do you say?" He said to Ryoma as if trying to provoke him.

Ryoma thought for a while since he was strictly forbidden to do tiring jobs but still answered okay. "BUT if I WIN, YOU have to do whatever I WANT AND TREAT me later some hamburgers…" Ryoma answered back which provoked Arai even more. "Alright then it's a deal then…" Arai replied to Ryoma.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno thought to herself as a duel between Ryoma and Arai is about to begin.

END OF CHAPTER 2


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: THE DUEL**

Ryoma thought for awhile before agreeing to the challenge. "I guess it can't be helped." he sighed; "Alright then…You're on, SEMPAI…" he said, emphasizing some words in a mocking tone which annoyed the heck out of Arai even more.

He gritted his teeth in anger as he clutched his fists. Arai then, suddenly thought of something interesting that will embarrassed Ryoma and turn the table around.

"If you're so confident that you're even looking down on your sempais then, I reckon that you'll be able to beat me in a one set game match." He replied confidently, trying to provoke Ryoma.

Ryoma just stared at him and didn't answer back. He turned around and left without saying a word.

"See, I knew you'd back down in our challenge and run away." He said as he crossed his arms; "After all, you're just a brat who brags about things." he smirked.

Ryoma stopped on his tracks and slowly turned around. "What?...Who says I'm going to run away…" he replied; "I'm just going to borrow a racquet so we can start the match and end this quickly…I wanna go home early so you could treat me some hamburgers."

Arai couldn't find a word to utter. He was completely speechless. Everything he says just backfired at him and it seems as if all the things that he said doesn't work against our dear ol' Ryoma.

After quite some time, Ryoma came back with a worn-out racquet in his hand that he found in the locker room. "This will do…" he said softly as he carefully adjusted the strings.

Everyone looked at him in a weird way. "Is he crazy or anything? How could he possibly use 'THAT' thing? " was what they all thought.

"So where are we going to play?" Ryoma asked as he glanced at a surprised Arai. "I don't have all day long so stop staring at me and just start the darn game already." He said as he, this time, is trying to provoke ARAI. And he succeeded.

Arai was red in anger as he couldn't take anymore of Ryoma's insults and arrogance. "Darn this cocky freshman." He said to himself in an angry tone; "I'll make sure to defeat you and wipe that smug look on your face.!." With those words, he led Ryoma to the court and ordered the first years to pick the balls so they could start their match.

"Don't do this, Echizen. I already told you that you won't win against a sempai." Horio yelled to Ryoma who just glanced at him and didn't even answer.

"RYOMA-KUN…Please don't do this." Sakuno said to Ryoma. "Horio's right…You can't win against him." She agrees with Horio but Ryoma didn't even look at her.

Everything that his classmates said was all ignored by Ryoma. He just went to the court with a bored look on his face but a hint of hint excitement can be seen in his eyes.

Arai was the first one to serve since Ryoma insisted that he serve first. "Watch and learn, boy…" he said with a smirk plastered on his face as he served the ball.

He aimed the ball to the right corner where he thought Ryoma wouldn't be able to return back. But his guess was wrong. Ryoma easily returned the ball, no sweat, and even scored a point with a fast ball.

"Don't take me so lightly, SEMPAI…" Ryoma said to Arai with a glare; "Play seriously…"

Everyone was really surprised of how fast that ball was and how easily he returned that serve. They were all amazed. They all yelled in awe as they chatter of how good Ryoma is.

Arai was also surprised as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Hmph, I was just testing your skill…That's all…" he answered with an excuse; "Of course, I'm not playing seriously yet and I was just kind of fooling around…This time I'll make sure that you won't return the ball…" He told Ryoma as Ryoma totally ignored him and just returned to his position.

Arai was getting angrier more and more by the minute. He cursed under his breath. How could this freshman able to return his serve from that corner. Arai discarded the thought as he concentrated on his service game. Arai's service ended quickly with Ryoma winning the first set within a minute. Arai was speechless. How could he lose his service game to a freshman? Just who the hell is he? He's no regular freshman. That's for sure. Everyone was stunned and was once again, wowed in awe. Arai clutched his racquet and said, "The game's not over yet, freshman. Don't get so cocky. It was just one game."

"Whatever…" was the word that Ryoma muttered.

Horio and the others were really confused and surprised. "How on earth can Echizen use a worn out racquet like that?" Horio asked the others but no one could answer the question. He is just a transferee, after all.

Ryoma, even with everyone's surprised look, just look bored and calm. He's not really the type of person who will be happy with such trivial matters. This time, it was his turn now and everyone's really looking forward to see what serve he has under his sleeve. He bounced the ball a lot of times. He then, threw the ball in air as he hit it with a strong force. He added spin in it, too, and when it hit the ground, it accidentally and unfortunately hit Arai's face. He fell into the ground with a loud thud that shocked everyone on what they saw. That serve was a TWIST SERVE! AND how could Ryoma possibly hit a serve that even the professionals have the hard time learning it. Just who the hell is this boy named Ryoma Echizen?

Meanwhile, the Tennis Regulars are on their way to the tennis court as they just got out of their class.

"Momo, how's your ankle doing?" a guy with glasses asked. His name is Tezuka Kunimitsu, the famous Seigaku Tennis Club captain. Everyone calls him 'Buchou'.

"It's healing faster than I thought but I'm still having trouble using my foot when jumping." He replied. Momo is the 2nd year student that Ryoma met this morning. His complete name is Momoshiro Takeshi. "I think I'll be able to participate in the tournament next month." He added.

"Good…You do know that we need you to the team but I don't want you forcing yourself too hard." Tezuka said as Momo nodded his head in agreement.

"That's what happens to people who are very arrogant and reckless." A guy with bandanna named Kaido Kaoru butted in. Momo's vein popped on what he heard and suddenly tackled Kaido that, of course, made him attack him back. The two exchanged punches and kicks as they shouted how much they hated one another. "You stupid VIPER!" Momo called out to Kaido as he hissed angrily at Momo.

Everyone on the team sighed in the commotion the two is creating. They are already used to this sight that it became the habit of the team.

"Hai, Hai…Stop it already, you two…" a guy that looks like a cat said as he tried to come in between the two but was pushed back by the two and stumbled on the ground. "Geez…You don't have to push me like that, you know…" he added. His name is Kikumaru Eiji. He is the most energetic and playful of the team.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS, KIKUMARU-SEMPAI!" the two yelled at him that made Kikumaru cry and came running to Oishi, the vice-captain of the team.

Momo gritted his teeth in anger and asked angrily, "WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM, YOU MORON!" Kaido answered him with a punch and yelled, "IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, PUNK!"

"I think I know the reason why Kaido is acting like that today." A guy with glasses said in a calm voice. He, then, adjusted his glasses as he glanced at the fighting two. His name is Sadaharu Inui, the data collector. Because of what he said, it caught the attention of the others.

"So there's a reason why he's hot-blooded today than usual." a guy with brown hair and close eyes said. "I thought it was only because Momo is getting on his nerve…again…" he added that made the others sweat dropped. This guy's name is Shuusuke Fuji. He is considered as a tennis genius in the team. "Oh, yeah…Here, Taka-san…You forgot your tennis racquet this morning on top of my locker." Fuji handed the racquet to Taka. His complete name is Kawamura Takashi. Well, his personality is actually like this….

"Oh thank you very much, Fuji-san." He said as he reached for his racquet. But as soon as he holds his racquet, he… "BURNING! OH, YEAH! LET'S PLAY TENNIS, BABY!" he yelled on top of his lungs in excitement. Taka changes personality whenever he touches a racquet and becomes a totally different person. The regulars once again sweat dropped, realizing that they weren't able to hear the reason why Kaido is so pissed today.

Inui coughed, trying to catch the attention of his teammates. Everyone looked at him and decided to listen to him. "Back to the topic…This lunch break, we met a freshman while we were practicing Kaido's shots." he started. "He just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and KIND of insulted KAIDO while he was making big moves…"

"Hey…YOU were ALSO insulted by that cocky freshman, you know…" Kaido interrupted making Inui a little red. Momo and Kikumaru laughed at the thought of Inui being insulted by a kohai. They wouldn't stop from laughing which annoyed Inui. He then, pulled two dirty-looking drinks out of nowhere and is forcing the two to drink it in one gulp. "Here, you two…My latest training juice drink. I just made it last night so do the honor of testing it for me, will you?" Inui said in a very creepy voice and a smiling face of his. Two loud shouts were heard on the school ground that day.

Momo and Kikumaru collapsed on the ground, their souls sticking out of their bodies. They couldn't take the poisonous effect of the drink that with just one sip, the two fainted there and then. Everyone once again sweat dropped, all thinking the same thing; "What's the ingredients he put this time. If those two collapsed in just one sip then that means he added more disgusting things in it this time." Inui looked at them and asked, "Do you guys want some, too?" Everyone immediately shook their heads in disagreement.

"I don't want to make Inui as my enemy…" they all thought.

Inui continued the story with the mysterious and cocky freshman as they all listened carefully for they do not want to drink that horrible drink. Neither did they laugh or smile.

(NOTE: Momo and Kikumaru are still unconscious and are right now, seeing the stairs to heaven. The two also weren't able to hear the story but they will both wake up a little later and when they wake up, I won't guarantee that they will not have a fever that night…POOR MOMO…..POOR KIKUMARU….)

"A freshman, you say? Now that you've mentioned it, I also met this boy when I bumped into him this morning and he didn't even apologize." Oishi shared to the others. Everyone also felt a familiar meeting with a boy that day and all reacted, "Did you meet a boy with a dark-green hair and a cocky attitude, too?" They all asked in unison. They all nodded and was really surprised on the coincidence they all have meeting with the freshman…Destiny, maybe?..

They were all speechless and were unable to utter a word to say. They all shared their meeting with the boy and came to a conclusion that he's a transferee and not a single one of them knows his name.

"Hey, have you heard?" a guy passing by asked his friends; "There's a freshman who can actually do a twist serve and is beating down a 2nd year student tennis member. He's even aiming at his face without even trying."

The topic piqued the interest of the team especially Tezuka, the captain of the team. He can't remember ordering the team to have a practice match while the regulars aren't present, especially if an outsider is having a match with one of their members. "I'll punish those people who do things on their own without the permission of their captain severely…" was what Tezuka said. The regulars felt a cold chill, as if it's already winter. Tezuka's eyes were as cold as an ice and a hint of annoyance and anger was clearly shown on his face.

By the time Tezuka and the others arrived on the tennis court, the game was already finished with Ryoma as the winner and Arai lying on the ground with a black eye that was caused by Echizen's Twist Serve. Ryoma exited the court and said before leaving, "Mada Mada dane…" which means 'You still have a long way to go!'..

Ryoma adjusted the strings and found out that two of its strings are already loosen. Everyone was really amazed at him; even the Regulars couldn't believe their eyes. A freshman just beat Arai, one of the 2nd years. Ryoma was about to go to the fountain to drink some water when Tezuka suddenly blocked the way. Ryoma looked up to him in boredom and said, "Oh it's you!.. You're that stalker guy who followed me when I'm eating."

Tezuka flinched on what Ryoma said to him. "Pardon?" he asked. Ryoma looked at Tezuka's eyes, "I said you're that stalker guy who followed me even though I'm eating lunch." he repeated. The regulars are trying not to laugh because of the cockiness of the freshman but couldn't contain their laughter. Tezuka couldn't utter a word. He was kind of embarrassed with what Ryoma had said. Not to mention, the insulting words that Ryoma added to his sentence that was heard by his teammates.

Ryoma, sensing that Tezuka was frozen on his spot, decided to head to the fountain but was once again stopped on his tracks when the regulars called to him.

"HEY, YOU'RE THAT FRESHMAN!" everyone said in unison as they all pointed their fingers at Ryoma. Horio and the others were intrigued with the sudden commotion and immediately went to Ryoma to find what the commotion is all about. Ryoma just looked at them with a bored look on his face. He's only interested on the treat he's getting from Arai. "Who are you guys? Hmmm…But you really do look familiar, though…" Ryoma sheepishly said.

Everyone fell on the ground, anime-style. Ryoma snapped his fingers. "I remember now. You're the guy with a weird hairdo whom I bumped into this morning…" he said as he points his finger at Oishi. "Oh, the two HOMOS on the rooftop!" Ryoma said pointing to Fuji and Kawamura who flinched at Ryoma's misunderstanding. Everyone laughed at that insults but stopped when Fuji glared at them, having a dark and killing aura around him… Taka was sulking on the corner and said, "But I was only sharing my lunch with Fuji because he wants to try some sushi…" Everyone sweat dropped. Tezuka was still frozen on the spot while Kikumaru and Momo are still knocked out because of Inui's poisonous drink. "But I'm not a stalker, though…" Tezuka muttered to himself.

Ryoma looked at Kaido and Inui. "Oh the hissing bandanna guy and the psycho…" Ryoma said to them as he pointed his finger at the two. Kaido's vein popped. He couldn't control his anger and was about to tackle Ryoma but was stopped by Oishi. "Help me out here, you guys… Kaido's out of control…." Oishi called out to everyone. He glanced at Inui and saw him in a very dark and killing aura, just like Fuji a while ago. He was mixing different disgusting and dirty-looking drinks. He has a very scary look on his face that freaked Oishi and the others.

"How come you know the regulars, Ryoma-kun?" Kachiro and Katsuo asked Ryoma. Everyone was really curious as to how he got to know them. But Ryoma simply answered, "Well, nothing much…just a coincidence that I met them. Also, I don't really know them. I won't involve myself any longer with these weird people…" With those words, Ryoma left them as he insulted them more.

"Wait, Ryoma-kun…Where are you going?" Sakuno called out to him. "I'm going to get some Ponta and go home…" he answered as he dragged Arai to his feet. "Of course, you won't be able to escape from me, ARAI-SEMPAI…You still have to treat me some Hamburgers." Ryoma told Arai in a very threatening voice. "KYAA! Ryoma-kun is SO cool!" Tomo, Sakuno's friend, squealed at Ryoma's coolness. She grew more and more in love with Ryoma because of easily winning the game and his cool attitude.

Ryoma went to the locker room first to return the borrowed racquet. He placed it on top of the locker and immediately leaves the room to get something to drink. Suddenly, Ryoma winced in pain as he clutched his chest. He collapsed on the ground and is leaning to a sakura tree. He looked at the bright sky and thought how beautiful the day is. He then, coughed non-stop as he covered his mouth. "…Such bad luck I have…But…I really am glad that I was able to play a little, though…" he muttered to himself. He is breathing heavily and seems to be in pain. He is sweating a lot as he closed his eyes for a moment then, opened it again. A hint of both sadness and happiness can be clearly seen on his face as he smiled a little, "Can't be helped…this STUPID sickness is taking its toll already…And I forgot to bring my medicine…" he said to himself with a sigh as he continued to sit there for almost half an hour.

"Ryoma-kun?..." was what he heard before losing consciousness. When he woke up, he was in an unfamiliar room and it's already dark outside. 7 or 8 pm, maybe? He seems to be in the infirmary. But how come? All he could remember is he leaning to the sakura tree near the locker room. He slowly sat up and saw Sakuno and an old lady looking really worried at him.

"You're awake, Ryoma-kun. You still have a fever so you should rest a little bit until your father comes to pick you up." Sakuno said to Ryoma. She looked really worried. "I can go home by myself without that STUPID Oyaji of mine!" Ryoma replied in annoyance as he tried to stand up.

"Geez, you should just rest up and wait for that slacking father of yours to come pick you up." The old lady behind Sakuno said, scratching her not itching head. "Instead of being mean to mygranddaughter, why don't you just thank her…" she added. This old lady is Sakuno's grandmother and the coach of the Seigaku's tennis club. She is Ryuzaki Sumire.

Ryoma was confused, "What for?" he asked; "Did she help me out on something or what?"

Sakuno was being shy as she hides behind his grandmother. "It's nothing, actually…" she said sheepishly.

"Geez…Just thank her already…If she wasn't there and saw you collapsed on the tree then, you would have caught a higher fever and is still leaning on that tree since that place was seldom visited by students." The coach said to Ryoma. "You should be grateful to her…"

"B-but g-grandma…It's fine…I just found him coincidentally there when I was about to go home…" Sakuno said shyly. "It's no big deal at all…"

Ryoma looked away as he leaned on the wall. "T-thank y-you…" he said in a very soft voice. "Now there…I've already thanked her so I'll be going home then…" Ryoma added as he immediately exited the room. His face is red as he leaves. Sakuno was really happy that Ryoma was grateful for what she has done for him. She blushed at the thought of Ryoma being shy when he thanked her. HE JUST LOOKED TO CUTE! Kyaa~

"Teenagers today…He really do resembles him, though…Especially in the eyes…Not to mention, acts the ways he does…" Ryuzaki-sensei said as she exited the room, as well. Sakuno was confused, "Who?" she asked but she wasn't answered by her grandmother at all. Sakuno was left wondering about the person her grandmother keeps on mentioning.

Ryoma went to his room to get his bag and some of his stuffs. The building was dark and only Ryoma's footsteps were heard on the corridors. In short, the school is pretty creepy at night. "And I was really looking forward to being treated by 'THAT' sempai, too…What a bummer…Well, whatever. I'll nag him tomorrow…" Ryoma said to himself in a somewhat disappointed voice.

As soon as he got his bag, he exited the building and decided to stop by a convenience store and buy something to eat. He's really hungry because he didn't get a chance to be treated by Arai. When he was near the school gate, he saw Karupin waiting for him. "I knew that old man wouldn't come pick me up…" he told himself. He smiled at Karupin as he picked him up. "At least you've come to pick me up. Are you really that worried about me that much?" he asked him as Karupin just answered him with a meow. "That's good. But I wanna stop by the convenience store first so you should go home before me." He said to Karupin.

Ryoma let go of Karupin and went the other way, heading to the nearest convenience store. It was a 10-minute walk from school and as for Ryoma who's sick, it's more like a 20-minute walk. He felt a presence behind him as if he was being followed. He slowly turned around only to see Karupin following him once again, just like this morning. He sweat dropped. "What's wrong with this cat? Such one weird cat he is…" he thought to himself.

"You know what? I'll be alright by myself… I'm just going to a store…It's not like I'm tiring myself or anything. Go home, Karupin." Ryoma said to Karupin but all was in vain since Karupin didn't even budge. Instead he walked nearer him and continued to follow him until Ryoma got to the store. He bought two hamburgers and some cat food for Karupin. When Ryoma got out of the store, Karupin was still waiting for him outside as if he's guarding him.

"You really are one stubborn little cat…" he said to Karupin with a smile. Karupin just stared at him. He then, carried Karupin until they got home. Ryoma was welcomed by his cousin, Nanako, with a worried look on her face.

"You're back, Ryoma-kun…I heard you fainted at school…Are you sure you're alright?" Nanako asked Ryoma. He didn't answer her since he expected her to be like this once he got home. She touched Ryoma's face and felt that he's a little hot. "Oh, you have a fever! Why didn't tell me this morning that you're not feeling okay…I would've never let you go to school in that state." She added.

"I'm alright already…You don't have to worry at all…" Ryoma answered rudely to her but she's still really worried. He removed her hand and decided to go to his room to change his clothes but was stopped on his tracks when he saw his father standing by the stairs. "I already warned you about this but OH NOO…YOU just have to be this stubborn and all. Look what happened to you…" Nanjiro, his father butted in.

"It's none of your business, OLD MAN…If you're so worried about me then why didn't you even picked me up at school and now you're acting all worried about me…" Ryoma answered back as he pushed him aside and went directly to his room with Karupin, slamming the door behind him.

Nanako and Nanjiro were both left dumbfounded. "Why is it that 'brat' this stubborn?" Nanjiro said to himself as he scratches his not itching head roughly. He went to the dining room and slacked off once again. He decided to read the newspaper but as usual, he was reading a porn magazine or a women's magazine.

"Maybe he takes after you…his stubbornness…" Nanako said to herself, pertaining to Nanjiro.

Ryoma lied down on his bed and placed Karupin beside him. He petted him and said, "So this is what people feel when they go to school." he looked at Karupin; "It really is fun…And also playing tennis…Will I be able to play again tomorrow, I wonder?" he added.

This marked the beginning of Echizen's first day of school in Seishun Gakuen.

**END OF CHAPTER 3**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry that it took me quite some time making it...I've been making a lot of preparations on our activities at school

Hope you like the 4th chapter of my story...^ ^

I DO NOT OWN THE PRINCE OF TENNIS BUT SOME OF MY CHARACTERS INVOLVED HERE ARE ALL MINE...

**CHAPTER 4: THE TRUTH**

It's morning again and time seemed to passed by really quick. Ryoma was still asleep on his bed as Karupin tries to wake him up by licking his face. Ryoma slowly opened his eyes and yawned. He saw Karupin near his face. "Good morning, Karupin…" he said to Karupin. He slowly got up and stretched his arms. He once again yawned, "I'm still sleepy…" he said in a sleepy voice.

He grabbed his alarm clock and SAW THAT IT'S ALREADY 7:46 am. Their class starts at 8 o' clock but he's still on his pajamas while the others are already at school. Ryoma shouted on top of his lungs for he is already late for class. He immediately got dressed and went downstairs to eat his breakfast.

"Oh good morning, Ryoma-kun…" Nanako greeted. "Are you feeling alright? You seem to be in a hurry, though…" she added in a very worried tone.

Ryoma just took some toasts and brought 2 small boxes of milk with him since he doesn't have much time to eat his breakfast. "I'm leaving…" he said as he exited their house. He wants to run to school so he can arrive there on time but he can't since he's not allowed to be tired; instead he walked as fast as he can.

"Darn it…I'll be late for my class in this state…" Ryoma thought to himself as he increased his pace while eating his toast. Suddenly, a very fast vehicle…No, a BIKE, passed by in an unbelievable speed. Ryoma was kind of surprised at how a bike like that be that fast. "The person driving it might have monstrous strength…I envy him…" was the thought that flew in Ryoma's head. The bike suddenly, stopped.

"Hey what are doing just standing there…you'll be late for class if you don't move your butt out and start running…" a very familiar voice called out to Ryoma. It was Momo, the guy that Ryoma met yesterday.

"Oh if it isn't PEACH-SEMPAI…" Ryoma teased with a bored look on his face. (*Momo means Peach in Japan so I thought that it would be fun to tease Momo using that…)

Momo's vein popped at the insult, "Darn it…Can't you just greet your sempai normally, freshman?" Momo said in a very annoyed tone. "So early in the morning and this freshman is already driving me nuts…" he added.

Ryoma just stared at him and said, "FRESHMAN this, FRESHMAN that! Why do guys keep on calling me THAT? I do have a name, after all." Momo thought for awhile and answered, "Now that you've mentioned it, you haven't introduced yourself yet. What is your name?" he asked.

Now Ryoma thinks that everyone is so stupid for talking to him yet not even knowing his name yet. He sighed, "Well, whatever. It's Ryoma Echizen…" he introduced. "But don't think that we'll be late already?" he asked Momo.

Momo screamed in horror. They really will be late and it's all because of their little chat. He grabbed Ryoma and offered him a ride with him. "Hold on tight, Echizen. We'll be flying…" he said to Ryoma. He has no other choice but to accept the offer since he'll be late.

Ryoma thought that he's just joking with the flying part but he was wrong. They literally flew and they were almost hit by a truck but Momo maneuvered the bike and made it flying across it. Ryoma almost fell on the bike because of how dangerous Momo is driving the darn bike.

By the time they arrived at school, Momo's bike is almost destroyed. It's as if they just passed hell, itself. But thanks to Momo's reckless driving skills, they were able to make it on time. Momo was really tired and was breathing heavily as he parked his bike. Ryoma just stared at him and said, "Such weak stamina coming from a tennis regular such as yourself. That's kind of PATHETIC isn't it?" Ryoma once again teased. Momo's vein, once again, popped. This freshman really does get on his nerves. "Sheer bad luck…Why do I have to be insulted by someone shorter and younger than me…All you have to do is thank me that we've got to school on time but OH, NO…All you have to do is insult me over and over again…" Momo's patience was really running out because of the constant insults he receives from Ryoma.

"Oh, you mean thank you that WE still arrive at school IN ONE PIECE…" Ryoma once again insulted; "I've never seen someone like you who drives a bike that reckless and nuts. You're a tennis player so what if you've injured yourself while coming to school on time? Don't you ever do the same mistakes you've done that injured that left ankle of yours." Ryoma left as soon as he said those words which surprised Momo.

"How did he know that I have an injury on my left ankle?" Momo asked himself but he couldn't think of how he was able to tell that he's injured. "He's no regular freshman, that's for sure. Hmmm…interesting…" He muttered under his breath. He was suddenly struck by the thought that he's already late and his class is already starting.

Ryoma arrived on his class on time but Momo didn't. He was even scolded for being late. "I know that you guys are really busy with the upcoming tournament but I suggest that you should pay close attention with your studies, especially someone like you, Momoshiro." the teacher said to Momo; "Now take your seat and if I caught you either sleeping or not listening, I'll send you outside." he said in a very strict voice.

"But I helped out a freshman just a while ago. That's why I'm late…" Momo reasoned out but he couldn't do a thing because the teacher already shut his mouth when he was almost hit by the blackboard eraser. "If you ever talked back at me like that, I really am gonna send you to the teacher's lounge and have you do several tasks for me later." the teacher said in a very threatening voice.

"But I was telling the truth…I really did help a first year out this morning…" Momo said. It seems as if he will not yield this time. Well, it's obvious since it's Momo. He never backs down especially if he has a reason for a certain incident.

The teacher was really pissed off this time at Momo. To control his anger, he sent Momo outside the classroom. Momo has no other choice but to obey. He sighed as he leaves the room. "Why is it that I always gets into trouble when I'm meeting that COCKY freshman." he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, because of the incident about the tennis game that was played by Ryoma yesterday, he became extremely popular with the first years and their sempais. Not to mention, he is also good looking and can attract so much attention. "Why is it such a big deal to everyone that I had beaten a sempai?" Ryoma thought to himself. He doesn't really care about what the rumor says about the game yesterday but the fact that Horio is the one boasting his achievements to everyone makes him irritated. "Why is he spreading those things instead of keeping it just a secret?" he once again thought as he looked at Horio who was proudly sharing the story with the other students. He was about to leave and ignore them when Horio suddenly spotted him.

"Oh, Echizen! There you are…We were just talking about you and everyone wanted to hear the story from you." Horio said to Ryoma in a yell whom Ryoma simply ignored. "See. We told you that Ryoma would not like it if you boast about things that involves him." Katsuo said to Horio as if he's lecturing him. "Well, it's Horio's fault anyway. He always brags about things." Kachiro answered, agreeing to what Katsuo said.

"But I really do think that Ryoma-kun is so cool. He was even able to defeat that hot-headed sempai." Tomo butted in which surprised the boys. She suddenly came out of nowhere. "Hey, Tomo, wait for me." Sakuno called out to Tomo who was busy admiring Ryoma as she brags about how she admires him on the boys saying, "If only every boy in our class is like my Ryoma-kun…" Tomo said with a sigh.

Horio and the others were ticked off on what Tomo said. "Well, SORRY we're NOT as PERFECT as ECHIZEN-kun!" they all said in unison as they left her dumbfounded.

"Hey, where are you all going? I'm not done talking yet!" Tomo yelled at the boys who just ignored her. Sakuno just arrived and was panting really hard for trying to catch up to Tomo. "Why did you have to say that to them, Tomo?" she said.

Tomo stayed silent for awhile before saying, "I'm just telling the truth…And they're not as cool or as smart as my Ryoma-kun…" she said in a sarcasm.

"But you didn't have to say those mean things to them just because they're skills and looks are out of Ryoma's league." she answered.

Tomo was speechless for a while. "Whatever…I still think that Ryoma-kun is the most perfect guy I've ever met…He's definitely out of their league…" she said as she sat on her chair.

Class started a little late since their teacher got into an accident on his way to school. He arrived 30 minutes late with a cast on his left hand. Everyone stared at him in curiosity except for Ryoma who just continued to sleep on his desk since he arrived. He was not a morning person since he's used to waking up really late in the morning. He was half-awake when he went to school that morning and wasn't quite aware of what was happening around him.

Well, since their teacher is injured, they didn't have classes that morning so Ryoma decided to skipped class again. He went to the rooftop and when he opened the door, he saw someone sleeping on the corner, Ryoma's favorite spot.

Ryoma slowly closed the door behind him as he went towards the sleeping person. He didn't say a thing and just stared as if saying 'that's my spot…' He sighed. The guy suddenly moved, surprising Ryoma. He slowly sat up as he yawned. "It's you…" Ryoma said in a calm and composed voice, hiding the fact that he's really surprised. The guy's yawn was cut off and screamed in surprise.

"HUH?... It's YOU!" he said in a very surprised voice. He was pointing his finger at Ryoma, who immediately slapped his hand away.

"It's really rude to point you finger at someone especially if you barely know the person." Ryoma said in a very annoyed and rude tone. "You're a very rude person, you know, PEACH-SEMPAI…" he added.

"Now look who's talking…" Momo thought to himself. "AND STOP CALLING ME PEACH-SEMPAI!" he yelled at Ryoma. He sighed as he decided to go back on sleeping.

"Gosh…I've been very unlucky since I met you, you know?" Momo muttered under his breath; "And there's no point getting angry at you…You always find a way to insult someone, anyway…" he once again breathed heavily as he glanced at Ryoma for a second.

Ryoma just stared as he sighed, "Don't blame other people for your stupidity and bad luck…" he once again insulted. He's about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He slowly turned around to Momo and said, "Oi…Peach-sempai…" he started.

"What do you want from me, FRESHMAN?" he answered in a question. He stared at Ryoma with a teasing look shown on his face and a smirk. "'I'm thinking that if you don't ever stop calling me PEACH-SEMPAI I'll start calling you freshman from now on…"

But all his teasing was to no avail to Ryoma. He just stared at him with a dull look on his face. "Is that all you've got to say?" Ryoma asked.

Momo fell on the ground anime-style. He wasn't expecting Ryoma to answer him as if he's not one bit affected by it. He hasn't met anyone like Ryoma before who seems to enjoy Momo's insults at him "What's with this freshman?" Momo thought out loud.

"I just remembered that you promised to treat me…I'm just claiming whatever it is you've promised me…That's all." Ryoma answered him. "I don't really care what you say about me…I just want the treat…"

Momo fell on the ground anime-style, once again. He was expecting a counter insult from him but all just comes the promised treat that Momo told him about. At least he's honest about stuff, right?..Well, more or less like a greedy pig?…But since he's Ryoma-kun, you could say that he's just claiming whatever it is that's his'.

Momo slowly got up as he laughed really hard that his stomach hurts from laughing. "Y-You're really the funniest guy I've ever met…" he said between chuckles.

Ryoma pout as he blushes a little. "Well, if I'm the funniest then you're the stupidest and the weirdest…" he said as he crossed his arms. "Just don't forget my treat…" he added.

"Alright, alright…I get it…Come to the main gate later. We'll meet there and go to a store that sells really good food…" Momo replied with a forced smile plastered on his face. "I've got a bad feeling about this kid's appetite…" the thought that flew on Momo's mind as a tear escapes his left eye. He was really feeling good about waking up this morning but it was all ruined by this newbie…..

Ryoma left Momo pondering to himself with his soul coming right out of his body. Ryoma went back to his class and found out that it's already their English class. He sat on his chair quietly, ignoring the teacher and his classmates' stares. By the middle of the class came, Ryoma fell asleep with his head resting on his arm. He was already in the la-la land when he suddenly woke up with an eraser flying towards him. He caught it but some of the dust was stuck on his hand. The teacher was practically going nuts from waking him up but Ryoma just stood up and went towards him to return the eraser as if he's mocking him.

The teacher was red in anger and said angrily, "If you're so confident as to sleep in my class, then I want you to read from pages twenty-four up to thirty (pp. 24-30)…" the teacher said as if challenging Ryoma.

Ryoma went back to his seat as if he didn't hear what the teacher said. "Where do you think you're going? Didn't I tell you to read the sentences on those pages?"

Ryoma stopped and answered, "What do you think I'm doing? I need a book if you want me to read, right?" With those words, he headed to his desk to fetch his book. He flipped the pages until he found the said pages. He took a deep breath before reading. He read the sentences with ease and no sweat as if he's not even having a hard time. It only took him about less than six minutes or so…

Everyone was once again amazed at him, even their teacher. "How can Ryoma read those difficult sentences fluently and with ease?" was the thought that flew onto Ryoma's classmates. "Is he that perfect as what Tomo says he is?" the boys thought to themselves. But it had the opposite effect on the girls. If the boys are being completely jealous of him, Ryoma's fans increased even more. "Not only is Ryoma athletic but he's also smart. KYAA~~" the girls thought to themselves as they all stared at Ryoma lovingly. Sakuno blushed, "T-That w-was a—amazing, Ryoma-kun…" she said softly at Ryoma as he smiled a little at her and thanked her for the compliment in a whisper. Sakuno blushed even more as soon as she saw Ryoma smiling and thanking her. She couldn't control herself from falling for Ryoma even more. Tomo looked at Sakuno with confused look on her face. "Are you alright, Sakuno? Your face is really red…Is it possible that you have a fever?" she asked Sakuno with a worried tone.

"N-n-no…I'm alright…No need to worry…" Sakuno answered as she tried to hide her flushed face. They laughed at each other as they turned to look at Ryoma. They chuckled when they saw Ryoma already asleep. He just looked TOO CUTE that you wouldn't even be able to resist him. "KYAA~ Look at Ryoma-kun's face! He looked really handsome doesn't he?" Tomo said to Sakuno in a whisper but with a hint of excitement on her voice. The two just look at Ryoma until their class ended. And of course, Ryoma slept the whole period without being scolded by the teacher. He just left Ryoma alone since he thought that he has already proven himself already. After their BORING English class, it's already lunch time and Ryoma just woke up from his slumber. He was still half-asleep and didn't know that he's heading for the cafeteria. When he turned to the corner, he bumped onto someone causing him to fall on his butt and instantly woke him up as his eyes widened in surprised. He winced in pain as he slowly stood up and rubbed his hurting butt. "Ouch…" was what Ryoma could utter in a very soft voice.

"It's your fault for not looking in your way…You deserved it…" was what Ryoma heard from the guy he just bumped into. Ryoma slowly looked up and saw it's…

"Oh, If it isn't ARAI-SEMPAI…" Ryoma said mockingly as Arai freaked in horror when he saw it's actually Ryoma, the freshman who beat him on a tennis match yesterday. "Now that you think about it, I've been looking for you since yesterday. You didn't do what you promised me yesterday…" Ryoma said to Arai with a smirk plastered on his face. He dusted his pants as he leaned on the wall and mocked Arai with his insults. Arai was getting really annoyed but if he's to cause another ruckus, he'll be embarrassed in front of the whole school. Of course, he didn't want that to happen. "Alright, alright…You're the most annoying brat I've ever met in my entire life…" he said with a sigh. "What do you want anyway?" he added as he sighed in defeat once more.

Ryoma smiled slyly and said sheepishly at Arai, "Oh, I just want everything on the cafeteria's menu…" Arai sweat dropped as he fell on his feet, anime-style.

"This BRAT is the worst…HOW DARE HE? I'M HIS SENIOR, DARN IT!" Arai thought out loud. But Ryoma heard what he said and asked, "Did you say something? I heard you saying something like I'm the worst or something like that…Did I hear you right?"

Arai gritted his teeth in anger as he clutched his hand. "Are you angry at me already?" Ryoma asked mockingly; "Then here's the thing. It's okay if you don't treat me but I wonder what I'd do to you if ever you break your promise to me…" Ryoma crossed his arms as he smirked again. Arai couldn't argue back at him because he knows really well that this freshman is a wolf in a sheep's clothing. "How am I gonna pay those when I've got little allowance?" he asked Ryoma but Ryoma just answered him in a sarcasm; "Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out…"

Arai is already red in anger. He couldn't control his anger anymore with this arrogant attitude of this freshman. "You really are one cocky brat, you know…" he said in an irritated tone.

"Was that suppose to be a compliment?" Ryoma asked as if he's trying to provoke Arai even more. "Well, whatever…I just want my treat, that's all…" With those words, Ryoma headed to the cafeteria signaling Arai to follow him. Arai couldn't refuse because everyone's looking at them. Who knows what kind of ruckus Ryoma will do if he is to not treat him. "Is this kid only after the treat that's why he keeps on bugging me?" Arai thought to himself. He decided to keep his mouth shut and just go with the flow so as to not let Ryoma have another idea that will embarrass him even more.

As soon as they enter the cafeteria, everyone's attention was focused on them then, followed by an eerie silence that is almost deafening. Everyone was really curious as to why the two entered the cafeteria together since they all heard about the match they had yesterday. Arai couldn't take anymore of the gazes and murmurings of everyone and shouted at them angrily, "WHAT THEE HELL ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT?" Everyone was really surprised at his sudden shout and almost jumped on their feet. They all went back on what they're doing because of the fear that Arai might do something to them. Well, who wouldn't? Arai's been showing dangerous glares that made him look like he'll swallow you up real good.

Ryoma glanced at him and smiled a little. "You really do have a scary face on you, you know…" He said to Arai; "With that face of yours, no wonder you're quite famous for being hot-headed…" he added as he chuckled a little. Arai didn't know whether to get angry or not. He's quite fascinated with his cute smiling face. "Is he a girl or what?" was the thought that suddenly flew on Arai's mind. He was in a really deep thought that he didn't notice that Ryoma was already at the counter and has already ordered a lot of food. He almost puked at how many food he's ordered. "Is no one feeding him at home? And why is he so little if he's eating like there's no tomorrow?" Arai said softly to himself.

"OI! ARAI-SEMPAI…HURRY UP! YOU STILL NEED TO PAY FOR ALL THIS FOOD.!." Ryoma called out to Arai. "Miss, that guy over there will pay for all this…" Ryoma said to the lunch lady as he pointed at Arai. "Sure thing, cutie pie~…" the woman replied at Ryoma with hearts in her eyes.

"S-So that guy isn't kidding at all?" Arai almost yelled in disbelief. But he has no other choice but to pay since the lady is looking at him with a scary look on her face that clearly shows 'you-paying-up-or-what?' He sighed in defeat as he went to the counter to pay for the bill. He was really shocked to see that all of the food that Ryoma ordered costs around 5,000 yen or so…Poor Arai, all his savings for the month were all wiped out in a single day.

As Arai fell on the ground in despair when he saw his wallet almost empty with only 530 yen left, Ryoma's happily eating the food that Arai treated him on an empty table by the corner. "Thanks for the treat, ARAI-SEMPAI…" he said to Arai with a mocking look on his face which angered Arai even more. He treated him lunch yet he was still insulted by this freshman. Ryoma was really enjoying insulting and taking advantage of poor Arai as his smirk widened. Before Ryoma could finish his meal, Arai left without saying anything to avoid Ryoma getting another idea on how to make Arai's life a living hell.

"The food sure tastes great especially if it's free..." Ryoma thought out loud. He suddenly stopped eating when he saw someone heading towards him. They are the seniors he saw on the rooftop yesterday; Fuji-sempai and Kawamura-sempai… "What is it?" Ryoma asked as he looked at them with a dull face. "Aren't you the two homos on the rooftop yesterday noon?"

The two sweats dropped; "You know it's really rude of you to take advantage of your senior…" Fuji said to Ryoma in a lecturing manner. Ryoma just stared at him with a face that shows 'so-what-is-your-point…' But Fuji seems to be quite angry at Ryoma for what he's done to Arai.

"Haven't you had enough playing with Arai? He's been quite down because of you, you know…" he said to Ryoma; "He's your senior, after all…"

Ryoma stood up and packed the leftovers. "He deserved it…" with those words, Ryoma left the two as he headed to the Sakura tree. Fuji and Kawamura were both left dumbfounded. "That kid's got an attitude…" they both thought. Fuji clutched his right hand in annoyance. Kawamura noticed that Fuji is angry so he tried to calm him down. Fuji smiled at him a little then, decided to go back on his class since he seems to lose his appetite because of Ryoma. Kawamura didn't know what to do since he's not sure if he will head back to their classroom without eating anything or just eat by himself.

Meanwhile, Horio, Kachiro, Katsuo, Sakuno and Tomo decided to look for Ryoma since he's gone for quite some time already. They found him eating beside a sakura tree as if he's having a picnic. They called out to him but Ryoma just stared at them and continue to eat his food. They decided to join him on his little picnic and were very surprised to see how many food Ryoma has. "W-where did get that food from?" Horio asked in a very surprised tone. Well, who wouldn't? Someone as small as Ryoma wouldn't be expected of eating tons of bread and juice, especially if he's eating them all by himself. Everyone's really surprised that Ryoma could eat those snacks by himself without even puking.

"Ryoma-kun's really amazing! He's got such a big appetite… Wow…" Tomo commented in amazement. She's got hearts in her eyes as she stared at Ryoma. Sakuno was calming her down because Tomo almost hugged Ryoma in excitement. Everyone sweat dropped at Tomo's behavior. "Girls sure are scary…" the boys thought to themselves as Ryoma just ignored them while he continue eating his food.

"Are you sure you can eat all of these foods, Ryoma-kun? Won't you get a stomachache if you eat that many?" Kachiro asked worriedly as everyone agreed on him.

Ryoma thought for awhile and suddenly asked them in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Are you saying that I shouldn't eat and starve to death?"

Kachiro panicked and said, "N-no…T-that's not what I meant at all… I'm just saying that you should eat the right amount so you won't get a stomachache…That's all." He was practically scared of Ryoma's cold stares and attitude. Katsuo, seeing that Kachiro was already panicking, reasoned out on Ryoma and said, "He just cares for you so there's no need for you to act like that towards him…"

Ryoma just stared at him with a blank expression on his eyes. He removed his gaze at them and apologized with a soft voice. He then, offered them some of his food which everyone unexpectedly accepted because of Horio's grumbling stomach. They forgot their main purpose of fetching Ryoma and bringing him back to their classroom. And not to mention, the fact that they're happily eating without having a single clue that they're already missing their next period. By the time they realized this, the teacher has already decided to give them a detention tomorrow after class.

They exited the teacher's lounge with sad faces except for Ryoma, who doesn't seem to mind it even a single bit. "That teacher really is the cruelest of the cruel. He didn't give us a chance to explain ourselves why we are late…" Horio complained as Sakuno and Tomo sighed while Kachiro and Katsuo have their heads looking down on the ground.

"Why does it have to be tomorrow?" Kachiro said, "I have to go visit my grandmother tomorrow too…" he was really sad and looked as if he's about to cry. Ryoma looked at him and said, "You know that all of it is my fault so why aren't you blaming me?"

Kachiro sighed and smiled a little, "It's partly our fault; too…You didn't force us to look for you…" They all sighed, even Ryoma himself. Before they realized it, they are already near their shoe locker. They changed their shoes and exited the building as they all bid farewell to each other as they headed to different directions.

Ryoma once again stopped by the convenience store to buy some snacks and unexpectedly met with the Seigaku's Tennis Regulars. He decided to act as if he didn't know them. Well, he's almost able to pass them but unfortunately one of the regulars noticed him and patted his shoulder that made him stopped on his tracks. It's Momo and Momo, being the kind of a friendly person towards his underclassmen, slapped Ryoma's back really hard that made Ryoma coughed a little. "Hey there, Echizen! Long time no see…" He said to Ryoma as Ryoma made a very unwelcomed look on his face. It's as if he had eaten a rotten dish this morning. "What's with the face? Are you having constipation?" Momo asked with a sly smile on his face as Kikumaru laughed and the regulars smiled a little. Ryoma removed Momo's hand on his shoulder and answered, "Of course not…it's because I saw your butt-like face. It's really ugly that I get sick just seeing IT." This time, Ryoma's the one having the most fun. The regulars weren't able to hold their laughter and laughed at the rude comeback of Echizen, of course with the exception of Tezuka who just remained calm and composed and Fuji who's still angry about this afternoon on what Ryoma's done to Arai. "Oh, I forgot about the treat. I was KIND OF stuck with one scary teacher so I wasn't able to meet to you on the main gate…So where's my treat?" Ryoma added with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Alright. Alright. You really are the most annoying brat I've ever met…" Momo replied with a giving up look. He really had no choice since he's the one who promised it and it would be bad if his teammates were to see him losing his cool with just a freshman. It really annoys him especially if Kaido, his rival, is to tease him again. Momo went to the counter and ordered some food for him as Ryoma just waited at the table with his head resting on his palm and his eyes closed.

"What are you doing just standing there? Are you that angry at me about this afternoon that you have to stare at me with that creepy look on your eyes? You shouldn't be angry at me, you know. He really did deserve it, SEMPAI…" Ryoma suddenly uttered as he opened his eyes and looked at Fuji. Fuji looked at him with a more serious look this time. "So you got Momo as well.?. Will you stop this at once?" Fuji replied as Ryoma just smirked. "A promise IS a promise. Everyone is allowed promise anyone as long as THEY CAN KEEP IT…" he replied to Fuji.

"You've got a point there…BUT it isn't right for you to just take advantage of someone who' doing nice things-" Fuji wasn't able to finish his sentence as Ryoma interrupted him.

"Well it's not my problem. I didn't force them to do those things. They're the ones who offered me a treat and I'M just GLADLY accepting it. It would be a waste if I won't accept them, is it?" Ryoma answered back. He really did have a point there that made Fuji speechless. "Let's continue this some other time, FUJI-SEMPAI…" Ryoma said to Fuji as he suddenly stands. Before he left and went towards Momo, everyone could swear that they saw a spark of rivalry on Fuji and Ryoma.

"Some other time, huh? I wonder when that will be." Fuji muttered under his breath as a small trace of smile forms on his lips.

Ryoma leaves ahead of the team with Momo looking at his wallet with a depressed look on his face. Momo's money on his wallet was almost wiped out. "T-that brat wiped out my allowance. How come he's that little and yet eat like a pig…" he said with a tear on his eyes. Everyone sweat dropped at the sight of Momo being KIND OF bullied by a kid like Ryoma.

Ryoma walked back to the temple while eating the food. When he was about to open the door, Nanako and Nanjiro came running out of the house as they dragged Ryoma with them. They seem to be in a hurry to go somewhere but where and why?

"Hey, where the heck are you taking me? AND STOP DRAGGING ME!" Ryoma asked them but no reply came. He was forced to enter the car and ride it with them. He keeps on pestering them but not one of them is answering him, even Nanako. After about 10 minutes or so, they arrived at their destination and it's the hospital.

"Why are we here? Is someone injured or something?" Ryoma asked continuously but he was just asked to follow them.

They passed some rooms and finally, stopped at the farthest room on the corridor. Nanjiro knocked on the door and just barged in without being given permission to enter yet. He grabbed Ryoma's hand and dragged him inside the room with Nanako following them close behind. Ryoma was getting really annoyed as to why they are just barging into someone's room like that and being dragged out of nowhere by his STUPID oyaji.

Suddenly, a man in his mid-ages appeared out of nowhere which kind of surprised Ryoma and Nanako. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it Nanjiro?" the man said as he grinned at Nanjiro's sight; "So you're fashion is still as lousy as before…"

Nanjiro, too, grinned really widely as he scratches his chest. "Yeah, been a long time. You're still the guy I knew from back then…always insulting everyone with a straight face…" He replied as they both laughed really loud that made Ryoma and Nanako sweat dropped. "This is my son, Ryoma, Kouichi. I've already informed you about his condition, didn't I? And this lovely young lady here is my niece…" Nanjiro said as he introduced the two to his friend. "And this here is a classmate and friend of mine since we were kids. He's heard about your case and decided to offer us some help since he's a doctor…This is Kouichi Segawa." He added. Ryoma and Nanako bowed their heads as a sign of greeting as the man greeted them back with a smile still plastered on his face. (Of course, Kouichi Segawa is my own character…^^)

"Oh~ so he's the boy you've been telling me about for almost a month now. Hmmm…Let's see here…" he asked Ryoma to sit on the bed so that he could examine his body. By the time he finished, Ryoma's already fallen asleep on the bed. "He seems to be tired so I'll let him sleep for a while…" He decided to let Ryoma sleep for a while since he's going to have a little chat with Nanjiro. He closed the curtain as he leaves so as to not wake Ryoma up.

An hour passed by really fast and it's already around 7:40 or so… Ryoma just woke up when he dreamt that he's beating all of the tennis regulars. He tried to sit up since he's still quite sleepy but he found out that he's on an unfamiliar room. He suddenly remembered that they're actually in the hospital. He then, heard two familiar voices talking. They seem to be talking seriously. He couldn't really hear everything but all that Ryoma could hear is the last sentence that Dr. Segawa said to Nanjiro.

"-Y-Your son will live for about less than a year or so…"

**END OF CHAPTER 4**

Review please...


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry guys…It took me for at least two months before I could update…and sorry if it's a little short….really sorry T^T**

**T^T I'm really experiencing writer's block right now and worst our laptop was reformatted…all of my files got deleted, as in all, including my fanfiction stories….**

**Well anyway, this is my chapter 5…Enjoy reading ^ ^ Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter…Well I'm not quite sure if you'll like this chapter but I did try my best in finishing this…Oh Ryoga's making an appearance in this chapter… too much chit-chat… let's just start the next chapter…**

**CHAPTER 5: detention…**

Ryoma couldn't sleep that night. He's still thinking about what he heard a while ago that shocked everyone else. He was sulking in his room with the lights off and was sitting on the corner of his room, looking on the floor. A trace of dried tears could be quite seen on his face because of the light reflected by the moon on his room. Ryoma suddenly remembered what happened a while ago in the hospital.

-FLASHBACK:

"—Y-your son will last for less than a year or so…" was what the doctor finally said to them. He's really hesitating if he should tell them or not but he knows full well that they will know about it eventually and it's best if he'll say it to them earlier so they will be informed about Ryoma's condition. They might even have other opportunities that they can find cure for Ryoma. He felt as if there's a lump on his throat and the pressure inside the room is getting onto him. Nanjiro and Nanako are both surprised on what they've heard as the room grew quieter. Not a single one of them spoke in a minute or so until it finally sunk onto their minds.

Nanjiro was the first one to react in a very angry and surprised voice. He grabbed the doctor's collar and gripped it tightly that made the doctor and Nanako quite surprised. "H-HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT, DOCTOR? You didn't even tried and yet you say that my son is going to die in less than a year or so?" He was gritting his teeth in anger. He just couldn't accept the fact that his son doesn't have a chance to enjoy his life since birth.

Doctor Segawa couldn't utter a word to say. He's speechless and he doesn't have an excuse on this matter. He couldn't even look on Nanjiro's eyes since he can feel the sadness he's showing. Nanjiro is still clutching the doctor's collar but thanks to Nanako who tried to stop him from almost choking the doctor he finally let go of him. She tried to calm him down so they could hear more about what the doctor have to say on Ryoma's condition. Nanjiro put his hands down and apologized on his sudden actions. The doctor just fixed his collar and tried to stand up. "I'm really sorry but there's nothing I could do…this kind of case isn't something as easy as what you think, Nanjiro. It's really complicated and if you want your son to have a better chance of living, then I suggest you take him to a much better hospital somewhere in America." was what he said to them as he exited the room with a grim look on his face.

Nanako then, started to cry as soon as she heard those words from the doctor. Her sobbing is the only noise heard in the room and Nanjiro just stood there, speechless. Ryoma, on the other hand, is also shocked on what he heard and tears started to fall down his cheeks. He couldn't control his emotions anymore. Everything mixes up inside him that he couldn't understand what he is feeling at that moment. There's disappointment and, at the same time, a feeling of being relieved.

He's really confused on why he's like this and just fell on his knees in a slow motion without making any noise so as to not let them know that he overheard their conversation. Ryoma just let the curtains enveloped him and comfort him from the sadness his feeling right now as he clenched his shirt tightly.

END OF FLASHBACK

"A year, huh?..." Ryoma uttered on a very low voice. He's taking it quite hard on himself since he was kind of hoping that if he is to avoid himself from doing tiring things and shutting himself, even stopped playing his beloved game, he would have the chance of getting better and finally have a better life once he's cured of this disease. He was in a deep thought that he didn't notice his cat, Karupin, purring at him as if asking for food. Well, after all, Ryoma skipped dinner saying that he's not feeling well and he's just going to rest in his room. Of course, Karupin just followed him since he's also worried about him, skipping dinner as well. Ryoma finally snapped out of his thoughts when Karupin almost jumped on his arms, surprising Ryoma quite a bit.

Ryoma weakly smiled at him with sadness clearly showing in his eyes. Karupin tried to comfort him by rubbing his face to Ryoma's leg but this just made Ryoma to cry more. It's the first time he cried like this, not even during his childhood when he was just alone in a dark room or when he was scolded by Nanjiro and Rinko for tiring himself up. He went on like that for almost an hour and finally fell asleep sitting on the floor and leaning on the wall. He's still holding Karupin in his arms and didn't let go of him until morning.

Morning finally came and Ryoma woke up on the cold, hard floor on his room with Karupin licking his face, waking him up. He slowly opened his eyes as he tried to get used to the bright sunshine from his window. He got up with his eyes still half-open and looking really sleepy. He then, rubbed his eyes and as usual, stretched his arms and lazily went to his bed. He just transferred to his bed so he could sleep some more and totally forgotten about school. Karupin jumped on his side and tried to once again wake Ryoma up but to no avail. Ryoma was already sleeping soundly, hugging his sheets instead of using it to cover him up. Karupin then, decided to leave him alone and let him sleep. She, too, slept beside Ryoma with his tail cuddling his body.

By the time Ryoma woke up, it's already 9:57 am which means he already forgot about school and skipped it already. He immediately got up and dressed himself. He went downstairs in a hurry that he almost fell but thanks to his fast reflexes, he was able to maneuver his body to prevent from falling. He headed to the kitchen only to find out that there's no one home except him and Karupin. Instead there's a letter left for him by the two. It says:

_**Ryoma-kun,**_

_**Sorry if we leave without saying word to you. I cooked you your breakfast and just heat it up. Uncle and I have some business we need to take care of so have fun at school…^^ oh and sorry that I forgot to make you a bento…Uncle said that you'll be fine even without one so we left in a hurry…**_

_**P.S. Locked the door properly and be careful on your way to school. We'll come back as soon as we can. Oh and Uncle said, "Don't let Karupin wonder somewhere off…" **_

_**Nanako**_

Ryoma just looked at the letter with a bored look on his face. "So, the old man and Nanako nee-chan went somewhere…" After reading it, he put it back on the table and since he's in a hurry he didn't eat his breakfast; instead he immediately packed his textbooks on his back and accidentally put Karupin's toy in his bag. Ryoma hurriedly put on his shoes and locked the door, as what Nanako instructed him to do before leaving for school. He was half-walking, half-running since it's already past ten in the morning and for a student, it's pretty pointless going to school this late; might as well skip it altogether but Ryoma still headed to his school and when he got there, it's already the third period.

He entered the building, panting and immediately changed his shoes. Ryoma didn't even notice that Karupin is following him closely, trying to retrieve his toy but unfortunately for her, she lost track of Ryoma. Meanwhile, Ryoma entered their classroom as if the teacher is not even there. Luckily, the teacher didn't even notice him entering the room since he's busy teaching. Everyone sweat dropped at his actions and begun murmuring in soft voices. Ryoma sat down on his chair and was first confronted by Horio who started to annoy him by passing some stupid letters, asking why he's late and all. Ryoma ignored him and just rested his head on his palm and looked at the window. Sakuno looked at him worriedly and thought, "Why do I feel as if Ryoma-kun became colder?.." Tomo noticed Sakuno looking at Ryoma and asked, "What are you looking at? Is there something wrong, Sakuno?" Sakuno was kind of startled and just shook her head. Sakuno, once again, looked at Ryoma's direction without Tomo noticing it and saw an animal with a very thick white fur with some streaks of brown hair just passed by on their window without Ryoma and everyone else noticing about it. She was surprised since this is the first time she saw something like that and it seems to be looking for something. Food, maybe?

"A raccoon?" Sakuno asked herself in a very soft voice as she tilted her head a bit in confusion. She was about to tell Tomo about it but was caught by the teacher and was lectured for quite a bit. When she looked at the animal's direction, it was already gone. "I wonder who owns that cat." she thought before she sat on her chair.

The class ended with a rather boring lecture of their teacher that made Ryoma yawned and almost fall asleep halfway. It's already their break time but Ryoma doesn't have the urge to eat something. He doesn't have his usual appetite and from the looks of things, it's as if he doesn't care about a single thing anymore. He decided to just skip another class since he found it boring, teachers scolding their students and his classmates who couldn't keep up with the lessons. He went to the nearest Sakura tree and unexpectedly, fell asleep as soon as he leaned on it. He seems to be really comfortable napping there that he lost track of time already. He was awaken when he heard someone playing tennis, as if the person's doing some wall training. He slowly opened his eyes and rubbed it. He, then, got up and headed to the tennis court, kind of curious of the person skipping class just to practice tennis.

Even though he's still far from the tennis court, he is really sure that it's Momo, from his purplish spike hair. He seems to be quite serious doing the practice but why? They still have classes so why is he practicing already? Well, Ryoma is also ditching class so what does that make him?.. Ryoma went nearer Momo but Momo noticed him approaching. He turned towards Ryoma's direction with a serious face that kind of surprised Ryoma. When he found out that it's actually Ryoma, his face suddenly turned back to how Ryoma normally sees it. He sighed and patted his shoulder with his racquet. "Oh, it's just you, Echizen. You startled me." He said to Ryoma who just looked at him with no expression.

"But you noticed me even before I was able to get near you…" Ryoma reasoned out to him with dull look on his face. "What are you doing here, anyway?" Ryoma asked. Momo scratched his head and answered, "N-nothing much…Just want to practice a little early than everyone is." He said with a laugh. Ryoma could tell that Momo's lying and making an excuse so as to hide his embarrassment. "Let me guess. You were caught by the teacher sleeping and were told to go stand on the hallway but instead came here to practice…" Ryoma said in a very calm tone.

Momo sweat dropped at his answer. Well Ryoma did guess correctly and couldn't bring himself to confess to him since he knew he might say something mean to him again. "W-well anyway, why is it that you only have that dull look on your face every time we meet? Are you that bored with your life and don't have anything interesting to do?" Momo asked Ryoma in a kind of annoyed look on his face but he still smiled a little. His eyebrow twitches a little when he asked him. Ryoma just stared at him and didn't reply. Instead he just flashed him a very sad smile as he looked at Momo. "Well, you could say that…" he decided to leave him alone to practice but was stopped by Momo.

"If you don't have anything to do, like club activities and such, why not join our tennis club?" he said to Ryoma in a very calm voice; "And it seems that you also have potential as a tennis player. Why not try it for a change? There's nothing to lose if you try…" he added as if trying to convince Ryoma to join their little team. Ryoma was kind of taken aback with Momo's words. This is the first time he's been asked to join something like this. He was really surprised that he wasn't able to hide his shocked and confused face. Momo noticed this and laughed at him. He's not used to seeing Ryoma with that kind of look plastered in his face. Ryoma noticed that Momo is actually laughing at his expression so he immediately turned around and kind of pout which made Momo laughed even more. Ryoma then, started to walk away from him that made Momo stop laughing and called out to him. "H-hey, where are you going? I'm just a bit surprised at your expression, you know. No need to be that hot-headed…" he said to Ryoma who just continued walking away from him. Ryoma then, faced Momo with still a bored expression on his face and said; "Your offer…I'll think about it…" With those words, he left Momo with a dumbfounded look on his face. He wasn't really expecting to hear those words, especially from someone like Ryoma. He was expecting him to call him names and just ignore him but turns out that he's mistaken. Momo scratches his head in confusion of Ryoma's actions. He just doesn't get Ryoma and his thinking.

Meanwhile, Ryoma was about to head to his classroom to get his things when he suddenly remembered the detention that their teacher told them about yesterday. He decided to attend the rest of his class since he's got nothing better to do and he won't lose anything if he attended it for a change. He walked silently in the hallway but seems as if he's not hurrying back to his classroom. He seems to be taking his time walking at the long corridor, still looking bored in life. When he arrived near the classroom, he kind of hesitated. He wasn't sure why but he just hesitated all of the sudden. Ryoma took a long breath, first, before opening the door. When he opened the door, all of his classmates' and the teacher's attention darted towards him which made him quite surprised but was still able to hide it from them. He apologized to their History teacher for being late which isn't like him and also shocked everyone. Everyone fell silent at the sudden change of actions of Ryoma. They were all speechless and their mouths are slightly open.

When Ryoma was about to sit, Horio, as usual, darted him with several questions that can make a person ticked off by being a busybody. "H-hey, Echizen, I thought you're going to skip the rest of the class today? Why did you suddenly come back? Is it because you just felt like wanting to learn? Or is it because you suddenly have a change of heart and decided to attend our class?" he asked continuously but Ryoma simply ignored him. He, as usual, rested his head on his palm and darted his attention to the blackboard where their lesson is written.

"It wouldn't hurt if I listened quite some time to the teacher…Well, whatever…" Ryoma ponder to himself, still ignoring Horio's questions. To everyone's surprise, Ryoma didn't fall asleep at all in the middle of the class unlike in their other subjects.

An hour or two passed by really quickly without Ryoma noticing it. It seems that Ryoma is quite focused on their topic that by the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the class for the day, he seems to be quite disappointed since he's quite interested in it. After class, their classmates leave the room with their friends and in a hurry, leaving only Ryoma, Sakuno, Tomo, Kachiro, Horio and Katsuo. Ryoma was still busy packing his things and so are Sakuno, Kachiro and Katsuo. Tomo and Horio are the only ones who seem to be quite energetic and want to finish their detention quickly.

When they finished packing their things, they headed straight to the teacher's lounge. They were task to clean the storage room and arranged some documents. They decided to divide themselves into two so they could finish their detention quickly. The first group are Tomo, Horio and Katsuo. They are in charge of arranging the documents and the trash; while the second group are Ryoma, Sakuno and Kachiro. They are going to clean the storage room in the gymnasium.

They all headed to their designated location and immediately started their work as soon as they got the keys for the assigned rooms. Unbeknownst to them, Kachiro seems to be quite down and is sighing a lot. "I knew it. I won't be able to visit my grandma today. What bad luck…" he thought to himself as he sighed once again. Ryoma noticed his sighing without the others noticing it. When Ryoma and the others arrived on the storage room, they were surprised at how messy the place is when they turn the light on. It's as if it wasn't cleaned for ages. Because of this, Sakuno and Kachiro both sighed. "How could we finish cleaning this room up?" was the thought that both flew on Sakuno's and Kachiro's minds.

"Stop staring and sighing, more work to do." Ryoma said to them with a dull look on his face as he started to sort the things out and can easily finish the task. The two joined Ryoma and within 30 minutes, they were able to finish sorting the things- both the usable things and the trash. They were kind of shocked on how much trash there is in that room. There's more trash in there than the usable things and there's even things that are not meant to be put there like the different costumes and things from the different clubs. Sakuno then told them that she will take care of returning the costumes to the drama club and some light objects she could lift. The two boys agreed as Kachiro sighed again and headed to where the trashes are. Ryoma followed Kachiro without Sakuno noticing it.

"You could go home if you want…" Ryoma said to him that surprised Kachiro who was busy putting the trash in a plastic. "E-eh?" was what Kachiro could only utter. Ryoma then, removed his gaze at him; "After you put the trash away, you could go home. You have something to do today, right?" Ryoma immediately answered him, slightly flushed but Kachiro didn't see it since Ryoma's bangs are covering his eyes from his view. Kachiro couldn't answer him for awhile because of the shock but he suddenly thought of their detention.

"W-what are you talking about, Ryoma-kun? Even if I've got something important to do, this should come first since it's my punishment for skipping class. A-and we're not finish yet with the cleaning." Kachiro defended, his voice is kind of trembling and there's a hint that he's about to cry.

"I told you to go home already. Don't worry about the cleaning. I'll handle the rest." Ryoma said in a very bored tone as he walked away from him. Kachiro then couldn't control his tears anymore and happily thanked Ryoma. He immediately collected the trash and threw them in the garbage can. He grabbed his bag and before he leaves, he bid Ryoma farewell and thanked him once again. Ryoma just stared at him with a still bored look but when Kachiro left, he smiled a little.

Ryoma was left all alone in the storage room since Kachiro left early to attend some family matters while Sakuno volunteered to return the costumes back to the Drama Club. He decided to clean some more and at last, he was able to pile them up neatly. (Well, he did say to Kachiro that he'll do his share of cleaning so he could go home…^ _ ^) He was pretty satisfied with the job he's done as he sighed in relief for finishing at last. He wiped the sweat on his forehead and dusted his clothes off. Just then, Ryoma suddenly felt his chest hurting and is having difficulty breathing. He clutched his chest as he winced a little in pain. He started to cough non-stop and is panting heavily as if he ran a marathon.

"Damn, not now…" was what Ryoma thought to himself. He then decided to sit for awhile to rest and it will probably be a good idea to stop for awhile. It will be bad for his health. Health? Why still worry about his health since he already know he's about to die so it doesn't matter whether or not he will fall ill. Ryoma leaned on the wall behind him to sit for awhile. His visions started to blur and his head is spinning. He's feeling a bit dizzy as a cold sweat trickled down his cheek. He tried to fight it out but the dizziness won him over.

Meanwhile, Sakuno has just finished returning the costumes back to the Drama club. "Thank you very much. We've been looking for these costumes for a very long time but it seems that someone accidentally put the costumes in the storage room instead of our club room. You've saved our butts in making costumes like these again. Thank you so very, very much." The upperclassman told Sakuno and continuously thanked her. "No problem. We just happened to find it there when we're cleaning anyway. I should go now. Bye." With that, Sakuno ran back to the storage room but Horio and the others are also on their way there so she accidentally bumped into them when she turned to the corner.

They all decided to go there together to pick Kachiro and Ryoma and probably helped them finish the cleaning since the three is already done with their detention and had just returned the key. When they got there, neither Ryoma nor Kachiro was there. They saw nobody in there but a neat pile of some objects used for P.E. and some stuffs.

"Eh? No one's here…" Tomo finally said in a very loud voice that it echoed in the whole gymnasium that Horio and the others have to cover their ears. That angered Horio and shouted back at her, "WHY ARE YOOU YELLING, IDIOT? WE"RE JUST HERE BESIDE YOU SO THERE"S NO NEED FOR YOU TO SHOUT! YOU'LL MAKE US ALL DEAF!" But what Horio said anger Tomo more that led to an argument between the two of them. Sakuno and Katsuo tried to stop the two but without Kachiro, they realized that it's actually hard work. They finally stopped fighting when Sakuno unexpectedly shouted at the two and lectured them for arguing loudly. They all fell silent that for a moment, the room was filled with a very eerie silence.

"But why are they not here? It's not like them to just leave without finishing their cleaning but-" Katsuo deducted but was interrupted by the loud-mouthed Horio. "What do you expect of Echizen? He must have got bored with the cleaning and went home already…" he said with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face.

"B-but Ryoma-kun wouldn't run away from his responsibility…A-and even if he did, Kachiro would still be here and would probably finish the task himself. Also this room is obviously cleaned and was already tidied up by them." Sakuno reasoned out with a very worried look on her face. She was clutching her hands worriedly. They got the reasons Sakuno's pointing out. Katsuo then, walked inside and found the key to the storage room lying on the floor. He picked it up and went back to the others. "H-hey guys, I found the key over there. Could it be that they just left it there since they already finished cleaning and is waiting for Ryuzaki-san to come back and lock the door?" he said.

They all thought for awhile when Tomo suddenly thought of something and snapped her fingers. "Didn't Kachiro-kun said yesterday that he has to visit her grandmother today? So maybe he already went home and since Ryoma-sama is done cleaning and doesn't like waiting, he probably got bored and went home…" she deducted with a very happy face since she thought that she already solved everything. The others sweat dropped and they couldn't disagree since Kachiro DID say he's visiting his grandmother yesterday afternoon and also Ryoma's attitude was pictured perfectly by everyone. They suddenly thought about Ryoma's stoic face and cold attitude. They shivered.

"You deducted perfectly, my assistant." Horio said to Tomo as he patted her shoulder as if imitating a scene from a detective show. Tomo in response, saluted and answered in a police-like manner; "Sir, Thank you. Sir." Katsuo and Sakuno sweat dropped at the scene and said to themselves, "Lunatics…"

After quite some time, they finally decided to lock the door to the storage room and went home themselves since it's already 5:30 in the afternoon. They all thought that Ryoma and Kachiro both went home already and didn't even tell anyone. "Geez, they should've waited for us or if they're on a hurry to go home, they could've told us. We waited for nothing…" Horio complained as they were about to go home.

The four of them went home with the combination of angry and worried look on their faces. They didn't even notice a cat walking passed them as if heading to the gymnasium.

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Ryoma woke up a little while later after Sakuno and the others locked the storage room. He coughed a little as he tried to sit up. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't see a thing since the lights are off. He tried to stand up but he almost tripped when he accidentally stepped on a stick-like object, probably the broomstick that he forgot to put back in the closet. Luckily, he was able to hold on to something. Ryoma decided to just sit down to prevent from falling down again.

"So I'm stuck in this room until someone comes open the door…" Ryoma told himself; "Well, whatever…Ah shoot! I forgot about Karupin…" he added as he suddenly stood up. But there's no use since everyone would have already went home. It's probably around 6 or so. He sighed. What would be of Karupin with no one there at home? What would be Nanako and Nanjiro's reactions when they found that he hasn't retuned yet? Darn it. Of all the time that this kind of thing happens to him, it has to be now. Sheer bad luck…

Ryoma trousle his hair in annoyance as he tried to think of some ways he could get away from that room. What if he looked for some secret door? As if? That room is located in the corner of the gymnasium. Who would even go there? Well, there's no point thinking about useless stuffs now. He tried to at least go crawl his way to the door and try to call for some help. He banged at the door for at least 10 times but no one answered. He really is all alone in that cold and dark room. He hugged his knees as his thoughts flies away. He thought of a lot of things especially his childhood days.

"_J-just a l-little…" a five-year-old boy said as he tried to reach for an orange. He is desperately trying to reach for the fruit which is an inch away from his left hand. He touched the fruit a little but he still wasn't able to grasp the hold of it. When he thought that he'll able to reach it, something hit it and it fell off. A 10-year-old boy caught it before it hit the ground. He was holding a tennis racquet and has a smug look on his face._

"_Ne~ chibisuke…what are you doing up there?" he asked the five-year-old boy named Ryoma. "It's dangerous, you know. Get down from there…" he added as he tapped his shoulder with his tennis racquet. Ryoma went down from the tree and pouted at Ryoga, his older brother._

"_That's mine. Give it back!" Ryoma commanded in a pouting and angry look on his face. Ryoga was quite amused with his expression and decided to tease him more._

"_Eh? What is?" he asked innocently as if mocking Ryoma. "If what you're talking about is this orange, then you're mistaken. I got this from this tree by hitting it with my tennis ball." He added, still trying to tease Ryoma. _

_Ryoma pout even more and didn't say a thing. "What? If you really do want to have it then why don't we play tennis and whoever wins get this fruit." he said to Ryoma with a smirk. He knows full well that Ryoma's sick and is not allowed to be tired. He expected him to just pout there and try to persuade Ryoga to give him back the fruit but Ryoma unexpectedly agreed on his challenge. Ryoga tried to persuade Ryoma not to continue this by giving him reasons but to no avail. Ryoma got himself a racquet and headed to the tennis court with Ryoga following close behind._

_After 10 minutes of playing, Ryoma fell down on his knees and started to breath heavily. He lost but was able to score a set. Ryoga rushed to him but with a smile on his face that kind of irritated Ryoma._

"_That's why I told you not to play. You really are one heck of a stubborn brat, aren't you?" Ryoga said to Ryoma who's still kneeling on the ground, catching his breath. "Here, you can have it. This will be the first and last time I'm going to let you have it. It will be finders' keepers, losers' sweepers next time…" he added as he tossed the orange at Ryoma who successfully caught it. Ryoga was about to leave when Ryoma suddenly spoke. "But why?"_

_He turned around and answered, "You did score against me didn't you? So just keep it…Bye…" _

_Ryoma stood up and said to him, "I won't lose to you ever again! I'll be better at you and beat you someday! So is that old man…" Ryoga turned his head and answered him, "Following mine or father's footsteps will get you nowhere so you better find that big dream of yours. BUT I'll be looking forward to it…The day you'll finally beat me." Ryoga bid him farewell as he waved his hand at Ryoma. And that is the last time Ryoma saw him. He leaved the Echizen House and travelled on his own to get better in tennis and find that big dream of his._

Ryoma was brought back in reality when a tear suddenly escaped his right eye. "R-Ryoga-nii-san…"

END OF EPISODE 5

**Kyaa~ Ryoga suddenly popped in my story…well anyway, my next chapter would probably be an omake since I'm really experiencing writer's block. But there's still a possibility that it will not be. Just look forward to it ^ ^ (victory sign) YAY! Chapter 5 finished at last (Though I'm not really that satisfied with my work this time T^T)…review please…**


	6. omake

_**YO! bLacKraBB!t CHA-CHII here! Just as what I told you on the last chapter, this is my omake story ^ ^… This didn't happen in the real Prince of Tennis but it was all based on my OWN imagination. It's all just fiction so it will not affect the continuation of my story up until now. HAVE FUN! ^ ^ hehe**_

**OMAKE 1: Ryoga's interesting day…**

"Hmmm…." a 10-year-old boy said as he ponders about the things he could do for the day. He has dark greenish hair with some streaks of black hair and is wearing a dark-green t-shirt that matches his hair and black shorts. This boy is Ryoga Echizen, the older brother of Ryoma Echizen. "Now what should be best to do now?" he said.

Ryoga picked his racquet up and adjusted some strings on it. His eyes were suddenly caught by Nanjirou who was busy reading his so-called newspaper. Ryoga put his racquet down and tiptoed his way to Nanjirou who didn't seem to notice him approaching. He peeked at the newspaper his father is reading to find something that will give him an idea on what to do. After a few seconds, he blushed and his nose bleed which caused him to clapped his hand on his face.

"D-Dad, w-w-wwhat t-the heck are y-you reading? T-that's really d-disgusting…" he said to Nanjirou who suddenly stood up and made a defensive stance. Nanjirou was really surprised that he has to do that stance for he fears that his wife, Rinko, will beat him to a pulp. "I-I t-thought y-you were r-reading a n-newspaper? B-but…i-isn't that a-aa…" he asked his father with a very surprised and innocent face.

Nanjirou flinched with a scared look on his face and said to Ryoga, "Now, now Ryoga my son…If you could, please don't tell Rinko-san about what you saw just now…PLEASE~" his face has a very disgusting look that made Ryoga backed away from him. Ryoga sweat dropped at his father's actions and decided to get his way out of there as soon as he can or else. Suddenly, a very dark shadow, like that of a 'monster ready to eat human', grabbed Nanjiro and Ryoga's collars. It sends shivers down to the both of them that they sweat dropped like crazy. They slowly turn their heads behind them with a very scared look on their faces. They already knew who it was because of the dark aura the person behind them is emitting.

"What is it you don't want me to know exactly, BOYS~?" the woman said with a grimace on her face, emphasizing some words that scared the heck out of the two. They sweat dropped even more with just hearing her voice. "I-it's nothing, Rinko-san…R-right Ryoga?" Nanjirou defended with a trembling voice. Nanjirou then, looked at Ryoga with a pleading face that clearly shows 'please-save-me'. Ryoga doesn't know what to do since he's scared of Rinko-san as well. He sighed. Who will he side with?

"Well, Ryoga-kun~?" Rinko asked threateningly, still smiling. Ryoga sweat dropped even more and was confused even more who to side with. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out when he saw Nanjirou's glinting eyes as if he's a puppy dog begging for some food while Rinko has been glaring at him as if she's a wild dog ready to bite him.

"A-a…W-well…" Ryoga said stuttering. He took a glance at two again but scares him more when he noticed the atmosphere got even more serious. "What is it, Ryoga dear? You could say it. Don't be scared. I promise that if you tell me the truth, you won't be involved in my punishment…" Rinko promised Ryoga who was tempted to tell the truth.

Nanjirou thought that Rinko is taking advantage of the INNOCENT Ryoga so he suddenly grabbed him and whispered to his ear, "Ryoga, if you tell that scary woman what you saw just now, I won't ever teach you more techniques in tennis…" Ryoga gulped at the thought of him not going to improve in tennis anymore.

"I-I…Mom, you see Dad is…ACTUALLY READING A MAGAZINE FULL OF WOMEN IN BATHINGSUITS!" he finally said it and oh poor Ryoga not able to look at his father. "Sorry, Dad…but Mom is the last person I ever want to be enemies with…sorry…" Ryoga thought to himself.

"Oh, you really are such an honest and cute little boy aren't you, Ryoga…" Rinko said in a motherly and sweet voice as he hugged Ryoga. "Here you go. I made some cookies for you and Ryoma. He's in that orange tree again…Will you get him for me, please?" she added as she handed him some cookies. Ryoga nodded with a forced smile. While the two of them are talking, Nanjirou was making his way out of there as he tiptoed. He has a very scared look on his face and is sweat dropping. He's making sure that nobody will notice him leaving but too bad for him, Rinko grabbed him from behind and is releasing a very dark aura.

"And WHERE do you think YOU'RE going, NANJIROU~?" she said with a wide grin on her face that scares the heck out of Nanjirou. As Ryoga made his way to where Ryoma is as he picked up his tennis racquet and the ball, he heard a very loud crying voice calling for help inside their house. Probably from Nanjirou…

"YOU BRAT! YOU TRAITOR! HOW COULD YOU? SOMEONE HELP ME~!" Nanjirou cried in a very loud voice. Unfortunately for him, he received a lot of lecturing from Rinko and was banned to read anything for the whole month. Poor Nanjirou…

Meanwhile, Ryoga happily went over to where Ryoma is, forgetting about the commotion that happened awhile with Nanjirou and Rinko. He was leaping while munching some cookies. He then, thought about his cute little brother. "What would be his reaction if I were to tease him? Hmm…" he asked himself as he chuckled. He took a few more steps and finally spots Ryoma climbing a tree. He was trying to reach the orange as he was inching his hands to the fruit. He seems to be having trouble reaching it and is very desperate to get the fruit.

Ryoga just watched on the side lines with a smirk on his face. "I really do like seeing chibisuke have that kind of expression…" he thought as he began to giggle at his little brother's cuteness. He decided to hide on one of the bushes and continue to spy on his brother. Suddenly, Ryoga thought of a way on how to make his day a little interesting, of course that would mean that little Ryoma will be involve as well.

He grabbed his racquet and the ball as he cautiously stood up. He was trying really hard not to get notice by Ryoma and distract him. He threw the ball in the air and hit with his racquet. It went directly to the fruit Ryoma was trying to get, just centimeters away from Ryoma's hand. The fruit fell and it landed exactly at Ryoga's hand. He was smirking at him and his eyes clearly shows 'easy-as-pie'. Ryoma pouts at him and made his way down to claim what is rightfully is.

Ryoga's eyes glistened when he saw Ryoma's cute pouting face. "so cute~~~~" he thought.

"Ummm…Rinko-san, what should I do with this brat? He's been tagging my clothes for quite awhile now. I think it's gonna stretch…" Nanjirou complained to his wife, Rinko. "And what's with him giggling like a girl?" he added as he pinch his right cheek. Rinko went towards the two and couldn't control herself from smiling at the sight of Ryoga's super wide grin.

"Just leave him be, Nanjirou. Maybe he's having a really nice dream that's why he's grinning like that." Rinko explained; "Aww, just look at that cute and innocent sleeping boy…" she added as she chuckled at Ryoga's sleeping figure. Ryoga then, chuckled out loud and pinched Nanjirou's face; "You're so cute~" he said as he chuckled more. This made Nanjirou winced in pain and almost yell in agony but Rinko covered his mouth so as to not wake their son up.

Rinko then, dragged Nanjirou out of the room by his ears. She carefully closed the doors and made their way to the kitchen. "Now, Nanjirou…Why not just help me out in the kitchen to prepare some breakfast instead of causing everyone trouble?" she said with a threatening smile she flashed at Nanjirou. Nanjirou couldn't refuse her offer since he's scared of what would his wife do to him…

Ryoga chuckled once again and said, "What an interesting day…" then, he snored…

…

..

.

Oh seems like little Ryoga was just dreaming…Too bad though…^ ~^

**END OF OMAKE 1**

_**This is just a special I made to ease some tensions and to think of something about my next chapter. I'm really sorry but I don't know when I'm going to release my next chapter. I hope that you guys will still look forward to it…^ ^**_

_**Oh and reviews please…**_

_***HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYOMA ECHIZEN (DEC.24) ^ ^**_

_***MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR…^ ^**_

_**Haha I'm just on a good mood…^ ^ (mutters: if only Ryoma and Ryoga are real people…)**_

_**Well anyway, reviews please…just made this out of the blue…**_


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